TEXT:
Mathew 21:1-13
Reading: 1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples,2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
INTRODUCTION
The death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are two ways upon which our salvation is based. He came to the world for a purpose; to give his life as a ransom. He came to His own, but His own rejected Him, so sad. All this said and done for the Scripture to be fulfilled. His suffering, even unto death, and his rising again is the scripture. When we say the Gospel, that is our reference: the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ told His disciples many times about what will befall Him. Behold, we go to Jerusalem, and there, the son of man must be betrayed. A great deal of good work He did on the way, and now at length, he is come up to Jerusalem, upon the first day of the “passion – week”.Christ rode in triumph into Jerusalem, five days before his death. The Passover was on the fourteenth day of the month, and this was the tenth, on which day the law appointed that the Paschal lamb should be taken up: Exodus 12:3 says “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house:” Remember, the Old Testament is a shadow picture of the Saviour Jesus Christ, which is revealed to us in the New Testament. Look with me in our text, Matthew 21 verses 8-10 “8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?” Christ must be known by all men. His triumphant entry into Jerusalem is also our ‘Triumphant entry to eternal glory’, because of His Precious Blood that was shed on the cross. Lord Jesus Christ triumphed over His enemies instead of rejecting His entering into Jerusalem. The people jubilated, spreading their garments on the street for his passage. If you believe in Him, our enemies will see us and they will worship Christ. God will turn their evil thoughts into good for His glory. Today I want to give you 3 spiritual symbols of Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. (1) Spreading their garments in the way for Christ that He might ride upon them.This speaks volumes. Those who take Christ for their King must lay their all under his feet. The clothes are token of their heart, for when Christ comes, one of our hymns says; “You have longed for sweet peace, and for faith to increase, And have earnestly, fervently prayed; But you can not have rest or be perfectly blest until all on the alter is laid. The chorus: Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid? Your heart, does the Spirit control? You can only be blest and have peace and sweet rest, As you yield Him your body and soul.” What the hymn teaches is that until we surrender everything; that is material things, and also our body and soul to Christ, we cannot have rest or experience a perfect life until we lay everything on the altar of sacrifice. In Matthew 21:8, the scripture says, “And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way.” This is a sign of total surrender.(2) The Triumphant entry into Jerusalem symbolizes the confession of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and the son of God. In Mathew 21 verse 9 “And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” We need to recognize Christ as our King of Kings and Lord of Lords. ‘King of my life I crown thee now’. Christ is the King of our lives, we need to accept Him and Crown Him King of kings. (3) The last thing that the triumphant symbolizes is Victory, Jubilation, Peace of mind, and Rejoicing. Do you know when we welcome Christ into our hearts, the peace that passeth all understanding will be ours? This is true! We say ‘No Jesus no life’. We sing, “O happy day that fixed my choice. On Thee, my Savior and my God! Well may this glowing heart rejoice, And tell its raptures all abroad. Happy day, happy day, When Jesus washed my sins away! He taught me how to watch and pray, And live rejoicing every day; Happy day, happy day, When Jesus washed my sins away!”CONCLUSIONHave you ever given Jesus Christ a chance to come into your life to be the Lord and master of your life?What is so dear to you that you don’t want to let it go? Surrender them to Christ.Remember, these people laid down their garments on the street. We should do away with all things that charm us most and sacrifice them to His blood.Accept Jesus Christ today and be free from condemnation in hell.Amen!!!